Foundation for Economic Education

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is a "non-political, non-profit, tax-exempt educational foundation and accepts no taxpayer money. FEE is supported solely by contributions from private individuals, foundations, and businesses and by the sales of its publications," its website states.

FEE was the first modern think tank established in the United States specifically to promote, research and promulgate free market and libertarian ideas. It continues to do so through its monthly magazine, The Freeman, as well as through pamphlets, lectures, and academic sponsorship. It also publishes reprints of classic libertarian texts, and arranges seminars for American public figures.

History
FEE was founded in 1946 by Leonard Read, general manager of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, for whom "the free-enterprise philosophy had already become almost a religion". FEE's initial officers included Read as president, Henry Hazlitt as vice-president, and B.F. Goodrich chairman David Goodrich as chairman.

Many libertarians have credited Read's effort as one of the bases for the international post-War libertarian movement. For instance, Friedrich Hayek was apparently inspired partly by FEE when he formed the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947.

Current staff
As of 2011 the following were listed as staff:
 * Lawrence Reed, President, since 2008
 * Carl Oberg, Executive Director
 * Linda Newton, Director of Human Resource & Finance
 * Sheldon Richman, Editor, The Freeman & TheFreemanOnline.org
 * Michael Nolan, Managing Editor, The Freeman & TheFreemanOnline.org
 * Tsvetelin Tsonevski, Editor of FEE.org
 * Brian Aitken, Director of New Media
 * Benjamin Stafford, Director of Programs
 * Anna Cuthrell, Assistant Director of Programs
 * Aaron Ensley, K-12 Education Outreach

Former officers

 * Richard B. Ebeling, President

Select Faculty Members
As of 2011 the following were listed as faculty:


 * Doug Bandow
 * Brad Birzer
 * Peter Boettke
 * Brian Brenberg
 * Bill Butos
 * Anthony Carilli
 * Christopher Coyne
 * Paul Cwik
 * Bob Ewing
 * Burt Folsom
 * Roger Garrison
 * Mark Hendrickson
 * Steven Horwitz
 * Israel Kirzner
 * Peter Leeson
 * Edward J. López
 * Robert McNamara
 * Matthew Mitchell
 * Isaac Morehouse
 * Ivan Pongracic
 * Benjamin Powell
 * Jeff Proctor
 * Lawrence W. Reed
 * Gregory Rehmke
 * Mario Rizzo
 * Bruce Rottman
 * Frederic Sautet
 * Frank Stephenson
 * Nikolai Wenzel
 * Lawrence White

Initial officers

 * David M. Goodrich, Chairman (also Chairman of the B.F. Goodrich Company)
 * Leonard Read, President
 * Henry Hazlitt, Vice President
 * Fred R. Fairchild, Secretary; Professor of economics at Yale University
 * Claude Robinson, Treasurer; President of the Opinion Research Institute

Other

 * Mark Skousen, President 2001-2002

Initial staff

 * Herb Cornuelle, Assistant to the President
 * W.M. Curtiss, Executive Secretary
 * F. A. Harper, Economist
 * Orval Watts, Editorial Director
 * A.D. Williams, Jr., Director of Public Relations

Current
The following are currently serving as trustees as of 2007).
 * Dan Grossman, Chairman
 * Lloyd Buchanan
 * Jeff Geisea
 * Edward M. Kopko
 * Walter LeCroy
 * Frayda Levy
 * Robert Luddy
 * Paige K. Moore
 * Wayne Olson
 * Roger Ream
 * Donald Smith
 * Sally von Behren

Initial

 * Harold Luhnow, president of William Volker & Company
 * A.C. Mattei, president of Honolulu Oil Corporation
 * William A. Paton of the University of Michigan
 * Charles White, president of the Republic Steel Corporation
 * Leo Wolman, professor of economics at Columbia
 * Donaldson Brown, former vice-president of General Motors
 * Jasper Crane, former vice president of Du Pont
 * B.E. Hutchinson, chairman of the finance committee of Chrysler Corporation
 * Bill Matthews, publisher of the Arizona Star
 * W.C. Mullendore, president of the Southern California Edison Company

Contact information
Foundation for Economic Education 30 South Broadway Irvington-on-Hudson, New York 10533 Toll free: 800 960-4FEE Phone: 914 591-7230 Website: http://www.fee.org/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * William Baldwin - former board member

External articles

 * Henry Hazlitt, The Early History of FEE, The Freeman, Foundation for Economic Education, March, 1984, Vol. 34, No. 3.